Job Discussion Forums

[AnzaExo]

For the people who have been teaching esl overseas for some years, what do you feel are the right/wrong reasons to get into this field?

[spiral78]

In no particular order!

Wrong:
You can't find a suitable girl/boyfriend at home and you think you'll be a hot property abroad.
You want to prolong your university binge drinking days into your middle age.
You think that the locals are going to find you cool and interesting just because you're American/British/other.
You want to improve the world by teaching people in second/third tier countries about the culture of your home country.
You want to save the world.
You want to teach people how to think critically.
You are sure that being a native speaker is sufficient to be a good teacher.
You treat the job as secondary to your own cool experience of living abroad.

Right:
You have a genuine interest in learning languages yourself.
You have a high tolerance for the unknown and for ambiguous situations.
You are patient with rules and regulations you don't understand or necessarily see a need for.
You have some real interest in listening to other people's stories and you care about doing what you can to support their success.
You don't need to be constantly surrounded by BFFs; you genuinely enjoy exploring and being on your own often.
You have the financial and personal resources to get yourself set up and even out of a country to home.
You see teaching as a possible career - you are at least willing to get initial training and to entertain the thought of further qualifications if you decide to stay in the profession longer term.
You treat the job as a priority on a daily basis.

[Landon]

I guess I did a lot in your Wrong column. I taught English in Peru right after college because I didn't want to get a job yet. There was no way I was ready for a career. The locals did seem to love my American stories and my height and my blue eyes. Outside of town the kids would run out of their houses and point at me and chase me down the street.

I dropped my previous girlfriend from home because of this trip. Then I met my wife there while teaching EFL. We have been married going on 11 years.

Spanish was the best language for us to communicate when I first met her, and we still communicate only in Spanish to this day, although she has a Master's degree in Education from an American State University.

At the time teaching was most definitely secondary to my adventure of living abroad. Teaching EFL was just something to be able to say to friends and family when they asked what in the world I was doing. It was a great experience. So much so, that we are now preparing to go back.

[spiral78]

[fluffyhamster]

Perhaps the main "wrong" reason expressed on these forums goes something like this: 'Don't enter TEFL* simply for lack of immediate prospects or putting things off, as there are few prospects in it. I intend to be done with this whole malarkey ASAP, and thus become the brain surgeon or whatever I should've become before being so pointlessly distracted from the right, preordained path in my life'.

Whenever I read such comments, I think a) who are they trying to kid (and often they end up moving sideways rather than upwards, becoming struggling translators say), b) there's actually plenty to occupy one's mind if not one's accountant even in those TEFL jobs that apparently "suck", and there is in fact a career path of sorts to it, and c) even brain surgeons are apparently overpaid these days (if we are to believe the architects of austerity yadda yadda. Suck it up back home? I think not!).

The only reasons I can think of then for really NOT giving TEFLing a try are if you're pathologically shy or awkward or socially challenged, or have such a dim view of foreign countries that you'd hate living in them. And about the strongest reason FOR giving it a definite try is if you're wanted for federal crimes and are on the run from homeland authorities.

*Teaching English as a Foreign Language. ES(O)L is more teaching immigrants in your home country, or those overseas countries where English is genuinely more a second rather than foreign language, and which therefore tend to have a high-enough functioning general level that they don't need that much native-speaker input educationally or otherwise (or they'll expect you to be more than minimally-qualified for whatever fewer openings are available in them).

[In the heat of the moment]

Right Reasons:
You enjoy teaching
You enjoy experiencing other cultures
You want to live in and experience another country, warts and all, rather than just visit for a holiday
You want to experience those cultures before they lose any signs of individuality and are diluted/masked by globalisation and other (mostly US) cultures

Wrong Reasons:
You don't know what you want to do with your life
You think it's a way to travel and you'll just chat with the locals
Your mate, Dave, told you it's a great way to have an extended holiday, sh*g loads of exotic men/women and drink as often as you want
You think you can change anything at all by teaching English

[scot47]

I failed in life and needed a job. And then spent most of the following 40 years teaching in weird, wonderful and whacky places.

[Hod]

[spiral78]

[buravirgil]

Dave's ESL Cafe: A weird, wonderful and whacky place.

[Hod]

[AnzaExo]

Some good points here guys! Thanks for the replies so far.
.

[In the heat of the moment]

[johnslat]

Depends on your personality/character, I'd say. Also depends on just how much you feel the need to hang with people.

For many, TEFLing means making "short-term" friends, again and again.

But that has exceptions. I'm still friends with colleagues from decades ago. And not just though e-mail. There have been visits, back and forth.

Regards,
John

[AnzaExo]